Creole linguistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Creole linguistics - Essay Example Although there are still many debatable aspects their inclusion into the linguistic arena has motivated scholars to have closer inspections. Unlike languages such as Slavic and Germanic languages Creole languages are different because they have no common ancestor (Baptista 5). All the creole languages put together can never be traced to a particular language or group of languages but what is evident is that there are traces of many different languages within the creoles of different regions. One of the observable features of creole is the use of the double negative or the subject as well as the verb in the negative. This double negative could be influenced by the Romance languages such as Spanish since this is grammatically incorrect in English. The Spanish, â€Å"Yo no voy a ninguna parte,† to Jamaican Creole, â€Å"mi na go no wey,† to the English, â€Å"I am not going anywhere,† is an example of this feature. This is used by the creole speaker to show emphasis and assertiveness. A creole is a restrictive language. Scholars point out that they were developed for communication means. They therefore lack many of the linguistic structures found in other languages. One of the features that point to this restriction is with regard to questions. The structure of the sentence is usually the same as when one makes a statement. The only difference is in the intonation. This could be due to the absence of a written code for the language. A language that is only perpetuated orally will have reduced structures different from those languages that are written. For example, Guyanese Creole â€Å"he gone,† can both mean â€Å"he is gone,† or â€Å"has he gone?† One is just left to the mercy of the speaker’s intonation before being able to decode the message. Apart from questioning there are other areas of creole languages that involves the intonation and emotional involvement

Human resources employment law for business Essay

Human resources employment law for business - Essay Example Franklin, a U.S. born individual of English ancestry, works for the China Lights restaurant, which is owned and operated by two U.S. citizens of Chinese ancestry. Franklins coworkers Jin Pan and Dongping Jiang, also U.S. citizens of Chinese ancestry, are late for work virtually every day, but no action is taken against them for this, even though the owners are aware of Jin and Dongpings tardiness, and even though there is a stated workplace policy that an employee reporting to work late, more than once in a sixty day period will be dismissed. Franklin reports to work late twice, 55 days apart, and he is dismissed. Explain whether Franklin has the basis for a national origin discrimination claim. Franklin does have basis for a National Origin Discrimination claim, but it might not be easy. Proof of misconduct would have to be documented. If Jin and Dongping’s tardiness was not recorded, it would be Franklin’s word against the company and Jin and Dongping’s word. If documentation exists on Franklin’s tardiness that could be used to prove that Franklin would have been fired despite Jin and Dongping. Franklin would have had a better case if he had started documenting the tardiness before being fired. It would have also been a better case if he would not have been tardy for two days in a fifty-five day period. Courts like plaintiffs with clean hands. Theoretically the case could be brought, but if not settled out of court, the case might not succeed. Title VII deals with the discrimination against employees based on race, religion, gender, and so forth. IRCA deals with the hiring of illegal immigrants. It is harder to prove discrimination on race, religion, or gender. Title VII must be proven in court through testimony and documentation. IRCA discrimination can be proven through citizenship documentation. If an employer will not hire because of the IRCA law, than the U.S.

Case study: Mental Retardation

Case study: Mental Retardation Introduction When you go out from your house today, try to observe the people around our environment, and we will found that not everyone cans physically function like us or at normal level. For instance, there are individual who blind, deaf are, and also who are not able to speak or move around. Generally, people refer them as physically disabled, so we will see this group of people having the special privilege such as in the shopping complexs parking space, special parking was prepared with the label disable. On another hand, there are people who cant mentally function at normal level like most of us. They might have not able to control their body movement, their intelligence, social interaction as well as language since the birth or early childhood. In this case, we are referring them as mental retardation. The American Association on Mental Retardation (2002) defined mental retardation as a particular state of functioning that begins in childhood and characterized by limitation in both intelligence and adaptive skills. According to National Information center for children and youth with disabilities (2002), we label a person with mental retardation when he or she has specific limitation in mental functioning and also in skills such as communicating, taking care of him or herself as well as social skills. All of this limitation will cost the children in their learning, such as slow in learning and development comparing to others typical child (National Information center for children and youth with disabilities, 2002). Mental retardation also reflects the fix between the capabilities of individuals and the structure and expectation of their environment (The American Association on Mental Retardation, 2002). In specific example, children with mental retardation may need longer time in le arning to speak, walk, and take care of their personal needs such as eating or dressing (National Information center for children and youth with disabilities, 2002). They are more likely to have problem learning in normal school (National Information center for children and youth with disabilities, 2002). They can learn, but probably needed a longer time or else there are something that they just cant learn (National Information center for children and youth with disabilities, 2002). Mental retardation is sub-average general intellectual functioning that related with concurrent impairments in adaptive behaviour and manifested during the developmental period (Southern association of institutional dentists, 2010). Mental retardation is an effectual theoretical intelligence, which is congenital or acquired early in life (Stefanovska, Nakova, Radojkova-nikolovska, Ristoska, 2010). Children with mental retardation have the low rate of understanding and limited domain of attention (Rezai yan, Mohammadi Fallah, 2007). The 34 Code of Federal Regulations 300.7(c)(6) of The United States Department of education defined mental retardation as significantly sub-average general intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behaviour and manifested during the developmental period, that adversely affects a childs educational performance (Federal registration, 1999). The statistic showed that averagely, 3% of the general population will be suffered from mental retardation (Southern association of institutional dentists, 2010). Most people with mental retardation are diagnosed before or during first years of school (Southern association of institutional dentists, 2010). The prevalence provided by statistical manual of mental disorders fourth edition text revision [DSM-IV-TR] (2000) mentioned that mental retardation has been predictable at roughly 1%. In term of gender, the ration for male to female is 1.5 to 1 (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). This shown that mental retardation affect more male. The misconception about how people perceive what is mental retardation also being pointing out. According to a case study from World Health Organisation (2006), a special education teacher who teaches the disable children is advised by the family and also neighbours to resign from her work when she is pregnant after 12 years of marriage. The reason given is that they want her to avoid contact with these types of children (means disable), concerning her unborn child will be like them. Acknowledged that this is superstitions, and with the support from her husband, she continues to help the children at the centre, and now her new born daughters intelligence is above average. Mental retardation is not something such as you having green eyes, bad heart, or you are born short or thin, it is also not medical disorder, nor a mental disorder (The American Association on Mental Retardation, 2002). Criteria Definition Referring to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders fourth edition text revision (DSM-IV-TR), published by American Psychiatric Association, there are three components of feature of mental retardation, which all of the component must be present to diagnose a patient with mental retardation (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). The three diagnostic criteria for Mental Retardation are as below: Criterion A. Significantly sub-average intellectual functioning: an IQ of approximately 70 or below on an individually administered IQ test (for infants, a clinical judgment of significantly sub-average intellectual functioning). Criterion B. Concurrent deficits or impairments in present adaptive functioning (i .e., the persons effectiveness in meeting the standards expected for his or her age by his or her cultural group) in at least two of the following areas: communication, self-care, home living, social / interpersonal skills, use of community resources, self-direction, functional academic skills, work, leisure, health, and safety. Criterion C. The onset is before age 18 years. In Criterion A, IQ or Intelligence quotient test had used to administer the general intellectual functioning of an individual. Intelligence is the general mental capability. It included the ability in reasoning, problem solving, abstract thinking, understanding complex ideas, quickly in learning, and also experience learning (American Association on Mental Retardation, 2002). The commonly IQ test such as the 3rd edition Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children; 4th Edition Stanford-Binet; and also Kaufman Assessment battery for children. All of this is an individually administered intelligence test. The cut-off score is IQ test scored 70 or sub-average intellectual functioning is IQ score of about 70 or below, which are two standards deviation below the mean. However, in some cases, although the individuals IQ score is below 70, he or she should not be diagnosed as mental retardation if there is no obvious disturbance in adaptive functioning. Adaptive functioning will be explained i n Criterion B. The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders fourth edition text revision (DSM-IV-TR) (2000), some others factor that may result an individual score poorly should be taken into consideration. For example, some of the factors include the socio-cultural background of an individual; the problem with native language; as well as related communicative, motor and sensory handicaps (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). There is four degree of severity of mental retardation. The degree of severity is determined by the IQ scores. The summary of the retardation and IQ level are as below: Mild mental retardation IQ level 50-55 to approximately 70 Moderate retardation IQ level 35-40 to 50-55 Several mental retardation IQ level 20-25 to 35-40 Profound mental retardation IQ level below 20 or 25 (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000) About 85% of the mental retardation patient is fall under Mild Mental Retardation, which their IQ level through IQ test is about 50-55 to approximately 70 (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). Normally, they cant be differentiating with normal children at the age of 0-5 years old. This is because; the social and communication skills are developing at the age of pre-school (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). At this stage, they have minimal disturbance in sensor motors areas (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). The characteristic representing this category is the role of Forest in the movie Forest Gump. In the movie, Forest ever said that I been an idiot since I was born. My IQ is near 70, which qualifies me, so they say. (Smith, 2006). With the appropriate support, patient with mild mental retardation can live successfully. Forest, who always being classified as retarded used chocolate to contrasting portrait of his struggle until he become a football star in the college, Vietnam war hero, and a successful business man (Smith, 2006). . On patients with moderate mental retardation, we usually refer them as trainable (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). About 10% of the mental retarded patients fall under this category (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). They learn communication skills at the early childhood, so that they can benefit from vocational training. With moderate supervision, patient with moderate mental retardation can actually fulfill personal care. They are able to travel by them self in a familiar setting; however they cant progress beyond the 2nd grade level in the academic subject (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). In a supervised condition, patient can function well with the community around them. For patient with severe mental retardation, they are actually 3-4% of the mental retardation population (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). During pre-school period, they might learn a little or no communication skills. During the school period, they learn talking at secondary level, they can be teaches in self-care. In a closely supervise condition, they can function well in life if they do not involve in any handicap. Patient of mental retardation who falls under the profound mental retardation is 1-2% (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). Most of the patient has a neurological condition that result their mental retardation. Their motor development, self-care, and communication skills can be improve if there is a proper education being given to them. If a mentally retarded patient who cant be categories within this four degree of severity, they will be put under the category mental retardation, severity unspecified. In Criterion B, impairment in adaptive functioning is the focus. Impairment functioning is the effectiveness of a person coping with daily life events and also how well a person achieve the standard of self independence expected by their age group in a particular socio cultural back ground as well as community setting (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). Yet, there are various factors that might influence the adaptive functioning of a person with mental retardation. Some of the factors are education, motivation, a persons characteristic, social and vocational opportunities and the mental disorder and general medical conditions (American Psychiatric Association [DSM-IV-TR], 2000). The areas of adaptive functioning concerning is communication, self-care, home living, social social / interpersonal skills, use of community resources, self-direction, functional academic skills, work, leisure, health, and safety. A person can only be diagnose with mental retardation if he meet any 2 of the area concerning in criterion B. For example, at the age of 16 years old, a person could not speak and poorly performance in academic. In criterion C, age is the focus. The onset must be before 18 years old. Intervention Programme Intervention programme are to believe will help the children with mental retardation to cope better in their daily life as well as future life. Intervention program for the mentally retarded children usually take part by the government, non-governmental organisation, school and also psychologist or expert in the field. Although it was take part by many organisations, but we have to aware that the intervention program cost a large sum of money. Medical news today (2006) reported as in years 2000, money spend for patients with mental disorder is about 51 billion dollars. However, the intervention program is still necessary to provide the patient another part of life. One of the intervention programs for children with mental retarded is occupational therapy. In occupational therapy, thought about daily life functioning being discuss and share with the children (Kottorp, Hallgren, Bernspang, Fisher, 2003). This therapy leads the children to perform the daily life task that the child would like to, or the task which is expected by the society or cultural back ground (Kottorp, Hallgren, Bernspang, Fisher, 2003). The most important aims of occupational therapy are to lead the children to have meaningful and purposeful occupations through the intervention (Kottorp, Hallgren, Bernspang, Fisher, 2003). Occupational therapy also focuses to help the child with mental retardation to develop fine motor control (Reynolds Dombeck, 2006).This fine motor skills is needed by the children with mental retardation to perform concentrated tasks (Reynolds Dombeck, 2006). Some of the concentrated tasks are like writing or drawing. All of this basic concentrated ta sk is important for self-help and academic skills in the later life of the children (Reynolds Dombeck, 2006). Researcher found that occupational intervention program had a positive feedback (Kottorp, Hallgren, Bernspang, Fisher, 2003). Patient can carry out activities of daily living in a safe and efficient manner. (Kottorp, Hallgren, Bernspang, Fisher, 2003). In summary, Occupational therapy intervention program for children with mental retardation, aims to help the children to meaningful and purposeful activity. The activity include self-care, care for others, appreciate life and socially active in various situation. Mental retarded children who went through this therapy will able to use the skills learned in future. Another intervention program for children suggested by researcher is tooth-brushing intervention program. In a study done by Stefanovska, Nakova, Radojkova-nikolovska, Ristoska (2010), they designed a 6 month intervention program that focus on the encouragement of independent manual skills looking after personal oral hygiene.100 school children at the age of 9-16 with low and moderate mental retardation in Skopje. Althought tooth brushing seems to be very easy for us, but it actually is a voluntary activity that requires motivation and physical ability. In term of motivation, the children with mental retardation are require to understand what is needed and also the reason or benefits of tooth brushing; and also the desire to achieve the benefit (reducing the plaque). Yet, they found that children with mentally retarded are not capable in understanding the oral hygiene procedures but they accept the change (Stefanovska, Nakova, Radojkova-nikolovska, Ristoska 2010). According to the researcher, patient of mental retardation normally suffered from periodontal disease. The result of their study showed that this six month program was effective in reducing the plaque and gingivitis scores and the long term success of the program is to maintain the childrens motivation to brush their own teeth and make this part of their daily routine (Stefanovska, Nakova, Radojkova-nikolovska, Ristoska 2010). Calculated the long term benefit, tooth brushing is actually cost effective ways of reducing plaque, reducing the needs to see dental doctor and others. The mentally retarded children are able to brush their own tooth with proper encouragement and motivation. Besides that, Rezaiyan, Mohammadi Fallah (2007) proposed that computer game as an intervention instrument focusing on the attention capacity of the mentally retarded children. In their experiment, 60 male mentally retarded children were recruited from two 24 hours care centers in Tehra. All of them had an IQ level between 50 and 70 with no physical disability. The result of their study indicated that intervention of computer games increased the attention span of the mentally retarded children (Rezaiyan, Mohammadi Fallah, 2007). Not only that, intervention of computer game also help in increasing the internal motivation and activity if the children (Rezaiyan, Mohammadi Fallah, 2007). The mentally retarded children was attracted by feature of the computer games such as competition, laugh, curiosity and others, and all of this helped in improving the ability to pay attention (Rezaiyan, Mohammadi Fallah, 2007). The children also learned problem solving skills through the games Rezaiy an, Mohammadi Fallah, 2007). In order to complete the game, the children need to practice and keep repeating the same process, this had help the children in self understanding skills, while paying attention to an object or location will improve the nervous system process (Rezaiyan, Mohammadi Fallah, 2007). In summary, as we can see, the main function of the computer games is to help the children in understand and paying attention. The two benefits are actually interrelated to each others, to pay attention you need to understand, understanding help you in paying attention. The mentally retarded children need both of this skill. However, we should also consider the side effect of using computer. Special education is another intervention program for the children with mental retardation. In Malaysia, a Non-governmental organisation, Lions Club of Kota Bharu operates a Down syndrome centre to give pre-school education to the Down syndrome children ages there to six years (Dahari, 2009). Down syndrome cause by the non-disjunction of chromosome 21and is the leading genetic cause of mental retardation (Ghosh, Sinha, Chatterjee Nandagopal, 2009). After graduated from the canter, the Down syndrome children will be sending to the special classes in the government school. They adopt the Macquire Small step curriculum as teaching guide or you may called it as early intervention program. The term intervention is used to cover physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and special education help. There are several type of intervention provided such as home based, centre based, and nursery based. Parents with Down syndrome children might send their children to this centre for ea rly education. Mentally retarded children are educable (Demirel, 2010). Another intervention in term of education being done in Turkey, the curriculum for children with mental retardation was designed at primary school level, attending private class, focusing on improving the skills of understanding, showing positive social relations, adjusting to the social, technological and physical environment and surviving independently (Demirel, 2010). From two of this example, we can see that education actually help the mentally children to make their life better. As a psychologist, we should support all kind of effort in coming out with special education for the mentally retarded children. Education is one of the best intervention programs for the children. In conclusion, no one is this world choose to be born mentally retarded; mentally retarded is a give but not a choice. As a normal human, we should not discriminate them yet give them the best of what we can do. Intervention program had being proven able to help the children with mental retardation to have a batter life. Every one of us should play our roles in supporting all kind of intervention program. As a psychologist, we actually can do many things for them as there are within our area of study, we can contribute idea regarding their well fare, education and in others issues. They had born unlucky, why not we shown them another part of life?

E-Books :: essays research papers

Business Systems and Technology The thought of books being on computers shows mankind’s need to use technology. Just imagine all the paper used in books around the world. Think of all the trees e-books would save. E-books are definitely the way of the future, but it won’t be a simple or rapid change. In a perfect world 20 years from now, students will no longer carry around bulky backpacks. Libraries will be in smaller, extremely technologically advanced buildings. Magazine shops may very well cease to exist. But what had to be done before all this could occur?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chances are, just about every person in the world would have some sort of e-book reader. These don’t come cheap at all. Prices could vary from $200 to $600. Computer programs that could read e-books have a certain level of system requirements. These requirements are fairly high now, let alone 20 years from now. Before e-books can become widely popular, people would have to make the choice between migrating to portable computers and purchasing a stand-alone e-book reader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What do you think the storage capacity on these e-book readers would be? Judging by today’s technology, the capacity would be quite enormous. But will that be enough for everyone? People will want to have every book they own at their fingertips so that at a moments notice they can reference Shakespeare or the latest articles in Times Magazine. People will want to be linked to their storage mediums at home all the time. This is where powerful wireless networks come into play. Network designers will have to come up with ways to make it possible for e-books to become internet ready, which would give people the ability to access their entire home library.

Chapter 1 Owl Post

Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways. For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. For another, he really wanted to do his homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night. And he also happened to be a wizard. It was nearly midnight, and he was lying on his stomach in bed, the blankets drawn right over his head like a tent, a flashlight in one hand and a large leather-bound book (A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot) propped open against the pillow. Harry moved the tip of his eagle-feather quill down the page, frowning as he looked for something that would help him write his essay, ‘Witch Burning in the Fourteenth Century Was Completely Pointless — discuss.' The quill paused at the top of a likely looking paragraph. Harry pushed his round glasses up the bridge of his nose, moved his flashlight closer to the book, and read: Non-magic people (more commonly known as Muggles) were particularly afraid of magic in medieval times, but not very good at recognizing it. On the rare occasion that they did catch a real witch or wizard, burning had no effect whatsoever. The witch or wizard would perform a basic Flame-Freezing Charm and then pretend to shriek with pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling sensation. Indeed, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty-seven times in various disguises. Harry put his quill between his teeth and reached underneath his pillow for his inkbottle and a roll of parchment. Slowly and very carefully he unscrewed the ink bottle, dipped his quill into it, and began to write, pausing every now and then to listen, because if any of the Dursleys heard the scratching of his quill on their way to the bathroom, he'd probably find himself locked in the cupboard under the stairs for the rest of the summer. The Dursley family of Number Four, Privet Drive, was the reason that Harry never enjoyed his summer holidays. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and their son, Dudley, were Harry's only living relatives. They were Muggles, and they had a very medieval attitude toward magic. Harry's dead parents, who had been a witch and wizard themselves, were never mentioned under the Dursleys' roof. For years, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had hoped that if they kept Harry as downtrodden as possible, they would be able to squash the magic out of him. To their fury, they had not been unsuccessful. These days they lived in terror of anyone finding out that Harry had spent most of the last two years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The most they could do, however, was to lock away Harry's spell books, wand, cauldron, and broomstick at the start of the summer break, and forbid him to talk to the neighbors. This separation from his spell books had been a real problem for Harry, because his teachers at Hogwarts had given him a lot of holiday work. One of the essays, a particularly nasty one about shrinking potions, was for Harry's least favorite teacher, Professor Snape, who would be delighted to have an excuse to give Harry detention for a month. Harry had therefore seized his chance in the first week of the holidays. While Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley had gone out into the front garden to admire Uncle Vernon's new company car (in very loud voices, so that the rest of the street would notice it too), Harry had crept downstairs, picked the lock on the cupboard under the stairs, grabbed some of his books, and hidden them in his bedroom. As long as he didn't leave spots of ink on the sheets, the Dursleys need never know that he was studying magic by night. Harry was particularly keen to avoid trouble with his aunt and uncle at the moment, as they were already in an especially bad mood with him, all because he'd received a telephone call from a fellow wizard one week into the school vacation. Ron Weasley, who was one of Harry's best friends at Hogwarts, came from a whole family of wizards. This meant that he knew a lot of things Harry didn't, but had never used a telephone before. Most unluckily, it had been Uncle Vernon who had answered the call. â€Å"Vernon Dursley speaking.† Harry, who happened to be in the room at the time, froze as he heard Ron's voice answer. â€Å"HELLO? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I — WANT — TO — TALK — TO — HARRY — POTTER!† Ron was yelling so loudly that Uncle Vernon jumped and held the receiver a foot away from his ear, staring at it with an expression of mingled fury and alarm. â€Å"WHO IS THIS?† he roared in the direction of the mouthpiece. â€Å"WHO ARE YOU?† â€Å"RON — WEASLEY!† Ron bellowed back, as though he and Uncle Vernon were speaking from opposite ends of a football field. â€Å"I'M — A — FRIEND — OF — HARRY'S — FROM — SCHOOL –â€Å" Uncle Vernon's small eyes swiveled around to Harry, who was rooted to the spot. â€Å"THERE IS NO HARRY POTTER HERE!† he roared, now holding the receiver at arm's length, as though frightened it might explode. â€Å"I DON'T KNOW WHAT SCHOOL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! NEVER CONTACT ME AGAIN! DON'T YOU COME NEAR MY FAMILY!† And he threw the receiver back onto the telephone as if dropping a poisonous spider. The fight that had followed had been one of the worst ever. â€Å"HOW DARE YOU GIVE THIS NUMBER TO PEOPLE LIKE — PEOPLE LIKE YOU!† Uncle Vernon had roared, spraying Harry with spit. Ron obviously realized that he'd gotten Harry into trouble, because he hadn't called again. Harry's other best friend from Hogwarts, Hermione Granger, hadn't been in touch either. Harry suspected that Ron had warned Hermione not to call, which was a pity, because Hermione, the cleverest witch in Harry's year, had Muggle parents, knew perfectly well how to use a telephone, and would probably have had enough sense not to say that she went to Hogwarts. So Harry had had no word from any of his wizarding friends for five long weeks, and this summer was turning out to be almost as bad as the last one. There was just one very small improvement — after swearing that he wouldn't use her to send letters to any of his friends, Harry had been allowed to let his owl, Hedwig, out at night. Uncle Vernon had given in because of the racket Hedwig made if she was locked in her cage all the time. Harry finished writing about Wendelin the Weird and paused to listen again. The silence in the dark house was broken only by the distant, grunting snores of his enormous cousin, Dudley. It must be very late, Harry thought. His eyes were itching with tiredness. Perhaps he'd finish this essay tomorrow night†¦ He replaced the top of the ink bottle; pulled an old pillowcase from under his bed; put the flashlight, A History of Magic, his essay, quill, and ink inside it; got out of bed; and hid the lot under a loose floorboard under his bed. Then he stood up, stretched, and checked the time on the luminous alarm clock on his bedside table. It was one o'clock in the morning. Harry's stomach gave a funny jolt. He had been thirteen years old, without realizing it, for a whole hour. Yet another unusual thing about Harry was how little he looked forward to his birthdays. He had never received a birthday card in his life. The Dursleys had completely ignored his last two birthdays, and he had no reason to suppose they would remember this one. Harry walked across the dark room, past Hedwig's large, empty cage, to the open window. He leaned on the sill, the cool night air pleasant on his face after a long time under the blankets. Hedwig had been absent for two nights now. Harry wasn't worried about her: she'd been gone this long before. But he hoped she'd be back soon — she was the only living creature in this house who didn't flinch at the sight of him. Harry, though still rather small and skinny for his age, had grown a few inches over the last year. His jet-black hair, however, was just as it always had been — stubbornly untidy, whatever he did to it. The eyes behind his glasses were bright green, and on his forehead, clearly visible through his hair, was a thin scar, shaped like a bolt of lightning. Of all the unusual things about Harry, this scar was the most extraordinary of all. It was not, as the Dursleys had pretended for ten years, a souvenir of the car crash that had killed Harry's parents, because Lily and James Potter had not died in a car crash. They had been murdered, murdered by the most feared Dark wizard for a hundred years, Lord Voldemort. Harry had escaped from the same attack with nothing more than a scar on his forehead, where Voldemort's curse, instead of killing him, had rebounded upon its originator. Barely alive, Voldemort had fled†¦ But Harry had come face-to-face with him at Hogwarts. Remembering their last meeting as he stood at the dark window, Harry had to admit he was lucky even to have reached his thirteenth birthday. He scanned the starry sky for a sign of Hedwig, perhaps soaring back to him with a dead mouse dangling from her beak, expecting praise. Gazing absently over the rooftops, it was a few seconds before Harry realized what he was seeing. Silhouetted against the golden moon, and growing larger every moment, was a large, strangely lopsided creature, and it was flapping in Harry's direction. He stood quite still, watching it sink lower and lower. For a split second he hesitated, his hand on the window latch, wondering whether to slam it shut. But then the bizarre creature soared over one of the street lamps of Privet Drive, and Harry, realizing what it was, leapt aside. Through the window soared three owls, two of them holding up the third, which appeared to be unconscious. They landed with a soft flump on Harry's bed, and the middle owl, which was large and gray, keeled right over and lay motionless. There was a large package tied to its legs. Harry recognized the unconscious owl at once — his name was Errol, and he belonged to the Weasley family. Harry dashed to the bed, untied the cords around Errol's legs, took off the parcel, and then carried Errol to Hedwig's cage. Errol opened one bleary eye, gave a feeble hoot of thanks, and began to gulp some water. Harry turned back to the remaining owls. One of them, the large snowy female, was his own Hedwig. She, too, was carrying a parcel and looked extremely pleased with herself. She gave Harry an affectionate nip with her beak as he removed her burden, then flew across the room to join Errol. Harry didn't recognize the third owl, a handsome tawny one, but he knew at once where it had come from, because in addition to a third package, it was carrying a letter bearing the Hogwarts crest. When Harry relieved this owl of its burden, it ruffled its feathers importantly, stretched its wings, and took off through the window into the night. Harry sat down on his bed and grabbed Errol's package, ripped off the brown paper, and discovered a present wrapped in gold and his first ever birthday card. Fingers trembling slightly, he opened the envelope. Two pieces of paper fell out — a letter and a newspaper clipping. The clipping had clearly come out of the wizarding newspaper, the Daily Prophet, because the people in the black-and-white picture were moving. Harry picked up the clipping, smoothed it out, and read: MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, â€Å"We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank.† The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend. Harry scanned the moving photograph, and a grin spread across his face as he saw all nine of the Weasleys waving furiously at him, standing in front of a large pyramid. Plump little Mrs. Weasley; tall, balding Mr. Weasley; six sons; and one daughter, all (though the black-and-white picture didn't show it) with flaming-red hair. Right in the middle of the picture was Ron, tall and gangling, with his pet rat, Scabbers, on his should er and his arm around his little sister, Ginny. Harry couldn't think of anyone who deserved to win a large pile of gold more than the Weasleys, who were very nice and extremely poor. He picked up Ron's letter and unfolded it. Dear Harry, Happy birthday! Look, I'm really sorry about that telephone call. I hope the Muggles didn't give you a hard time. I asked Dad, and he reckons I shouldn't have shouted. It's amazing here in Egypt. Bill's taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn't believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn't let Ginny come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who'd broken in and grown extra heads and stuff. I couldn't believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. Seven hundred galleons! Most of it's gone on this trip, but they're going to buy me a new wand for next year. Harry remembered only too well the occasion when Ron's old wand had snapped. It had happened when the car the two of them had been flying to Hogwarts had crashed into a tree on the school grounds. We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get my wand and our new books. Any chance of meeting you there? Don't let the Muggles get you down! Try and come to London, Ron P.S. Percy's Head Boy. He got the letter last week. Harry glanced back at the photograph. Percy, who was in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, was looking particularly smug. He had pinned his Head Boy badge to the fez perched jauntily on top of his neat hair, his horn-rimmed glasses flashing in the Egyptian sun. Harry now turned to his present and unwrapped it. Inside was what looked like a miniature glass spinning top. There was another note from Ron beneath it. Harry — this is a Pocket Sneakoscope. If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's supposed to light up and spin. Bill says it's rubbish sold for wizard tourists and isn't reliable, because it kept lighting up at dinner last night. But he didn't realize Fred and George had put beetles in his soup. Bye — Ron Harry put the Pocket Sneakoscope on his bedside table, where it stood quite still, balanced on its point, reflecting the luminous hands of his clock. He looked at it happily for a few seconds, then picked up the parcel Hedwig had brought. Inside this, too, there was a wrapped present, a card, and a letter, this time from Hermione. Dear Harry, Ron wrote to me and told me about his phone call to your Uncle Vernon. I do hope you're all right. I'm on holiday in France at the moment and I didn't know how I was going to send this to you — what if they'd opened it at customs? — but then Hedwig turned up! I think she wanted to make sure you got something for your birthday for a change. I bought your present by owl-order; there was an advertisement in the Daily Prophet (I've been getting it delivered; it's so good to keep up with what's going on in the wizarding world), Did you see that picture of Ron and his family a week ago? I bet he's learning loads. I'm really jealous — the ancient Egyptian wizards were fascinating. There's some interesting local history of witchcraft here, too. I've rewritten my whole History of Magic essay to include some of the things I've found out, I hope it's not too long — it's two rolls of parchment more than Professor Binns asked for. Ron says he's going to be in London in the last week of the holidays. Can you make it? Will your aunt and uncle let you come? I really hope you can. If not, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September first! Love from Hermione P.S. Ron says Percy's Head Boy. I'll bet Percy's really pleased. Ron doesn't seem too happy about it. Harry laughed as he put Hermione's letter aside and picked up her present. It was very heavy. Knowing Hermione, he was sure it would be a large book full of very difficult spells — but it wasn't. His heart gave a huge bound as he ripped back the paper and saw a sleek black leather case, with silver words stamped across it, reading Broomstick Servicing Kit. â€Å"Wow, Hermione!† Harry whispered, unzipping the case to look inside. There was a large jar of Fleetwood's High-Finish Handle Polish, a pair of gleaming silver Tail-Twig Clippers, a tiny brass compass to clip on your broom for long journeys, and a Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare. Apart from his friends, the thing that Harry missed most about Hogwarts was Quidditch, the most popular sport in the magical world — highly dangerous, very exciting, and played on broomsticks. Harry happened to be a very good Quidditch player; he had been the youngest person in a century to be picked for one of the Hogwarts House teams. One of Harry's most prized possessions was his Nimbus Two Thousand racing broom. Harry put the leather case aside and picked up his last parcel. He recognized the untidy scrawl on the brown paper at once: this was from Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper. He tore off the top layer of paper and glimpsed something green and leathery, but before he could unwrap it properly, the parcel gave a strange quiver, and whatever was inside it snapped loudly — as though it had jaws. Harry froze. He knew that Hagrid would never send him anything dangerous on purpose, but then, Hagrid didn't have a normal person's view of what was dangerous. Hagrid had been known to befriend giant spiders, buy vicious, three-headed dogs from men in pubs, and sneak illegal dragon eggs into his cabin. Harry poked the parcel nervously. It snapped loudly again. Harry reached for the lamp on his bedside table, gripped it firmly in one hand, and raised it over his head, ready to strike. Then he seized the rest of the wrapping paper in his other hand and pulled. And out fell — a book. Harry just had time to register its handsome green cover, emblazoned with the golden title The Monster Book of Monsters, before it flipped onto its edge and scuttled sideways along the bed like some weird crab. â€Å"Uh-oh,† Harry muttered. The book toppled off the bed with a loud clunk and shuffled rapidly across the room. Harry followed it stealthily. The book was hiding in the dark space under his desk. Praying that the Dursleys were still fast asleep, Harry got down on his hands and knees and reached toward it. â€Å"Ouch!† The book snapped shut on his hand and then flapped past him, still scuttling on its covers. Harry scrambled around, threw himself forward, and managed to flatten it. Uncle Vernon gave a loud, sleepy grunt in the room next door. Hedwig and Errol watched interestedly as Harry clamped the struggling book tightly in his arms, hurried to his chest of drawers, and pulled out a belt, which he buckled tightly around it. The Monster Book shuddered angrily, but could no longer flap and snap, so Harry threw it down on the bed and reached for Hagrid's card. Dear Harry, Happy Birthday! Think you might find this useful for next year. Won't say no more here. Tell you when I see you. Hope the Muggles are treating you right. All the best, Hagrid It struck Harry as ominous that Hagrid thought a biting book would come in useful, but he put Hagrid's card up next to Ron's and Hermione's, grinning more broadly than ever. Now there was only the letter from Hogwarts left. Noticing that it was rather thicker than usual, Harry slit open the envelope, pulled out the first page of parchment within, and read: Dear Mr. Potter, Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock. Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign. A list of books for next year is enclosed. Yours sincerely, Professor M. McGonagall Deputy Headmistress Harry pulled out the Hogsmeade permission form and looked at it, no longer grinning. It would be wonderful to visit Hogsmeade on weekends; he knew it was an entirely wizarding village, and he had never set foot there. But how on earth was he going to persuade Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to sign the form? He looked over at the alarm clock. It was now two o'clock in the morning. Deciding that he'd worry about the Hogsmeade form when he woke up, Harry got back into bed and reached up to cross off another day on the chart he'd made for himself, counting down the days left until his return to Hogwarts. Then he took off his glasses and lay down; eyes open, facing his three birthday cards. Extremely unusual though he was, at that moment Harry Potter felt just like everyone else — glad, for the first time in his life, that it was his birthday.

Bank Internship: National City Corporation

This past summer (2002), I was an intern in the Credit Department at the corporate headquarters of National City Bank located in downtown Cleveland. During my time as an intern I was able to put my classrooms knowledge and experience into practice dealing with real world situations. Let me give you an overview of what our department basically did on a day to day basis. We were what you would call the â€Å"number crunchers† of the building. Senior Credit Officers, Loan Officers, and Secured Credit Analysts would send numerous financial statements for various companies to our floor. These financials, with the attached project (I will explain the projects/assignment later) would then be assigned by our department head to specific analysts. We were then responsible for completing the desired task that the Officer had requested by a certain date and time. Analysts would gather as much information about the company as needed and perform the various tasks in order to get the Officer’s approval of the completed product. All in all, that is basically what the Credit Department did on a day to day basis, but this is just a brief overview. I will go into further detail throughout the remainder of the paper. On my first day at the internship, I was introduced to my supervisor and Assistant Vice President of Credit, Anita Swoboda (she interviewed me and gave me the job over the phone, so we had never met) and the rest of my coworkers on the 9th floor. After the introductions were made and I was situated in my new desk, I was instructed to go to a computer in the back of the office to learn the system that the department worked off of. The instructional tour took me through the database that I would be using on an everyday basis and showed me what everything the specifics of the system. The database was constructed like an Excel spreadsheet, but it was specifically made with equations for the different data entries. After I was fully acquainted with the database (it is called FAMAS), I was given my first assignment to complete. The slang term used around the office for these financial tables was â€Å"spreads†. The spreads were the end result of the data entered into FAMAS. I was given a set of financial statements from a specific company and my job was to enter the relevant data into the necessary categories and subcategories in the system. After all of the data was entered, I had to check to make sure that the balance sheet was in balance, the income statement provided the correct net income for the period ending, and the cash flow statement was in accordance to the company’s given data. If everything was in place and all of the data was correct, I then would print off the â€Å"output†. The output gave six pages of the summarized data that I had entered. Three pages were the replicas of the balance sheet, the income statement, and the statement of cash flows. The other three pages gave concise ratios and detailed reconciliations pertaining to the data. This, inevitably, was used by the Officer to make an accurate assumption about the stability of the company’s cash/asset/liability position. This was the most basic and most assigned project for the analysts in general. The next type of responsibility that I had was in the contents of what was called a Criticized Asset Sheet or CAC for short. These CACs were used by Officers when a company was underperforming according to National City’s standards for loan payments. These companies often times would have negative net income levels for more than one year, poor repayment practices in the past, and overall bad quality dealings with National City in general, just to name a few. The CAC required the analyst to do the assigned company’s spreads as well as a number of other pieces of financial analysis in order to give the Officer and the committee a better idea of where exactly this company stood and if it was beneficial to keep doing business with them. I was responsible for going through another database (I was taken through another step by step training session, this time with an individual) to get all of the pertinent information needed for the assessment. This new database allowed me to get detailed information on all of a company’s outstanding loans (i. e. what type of loan, when it matures, how much is outstanding, etc. ), the list of beneficiaries/individual signers on the loans as well as their financial commitment in the company, and the company’s past status on its old loans. After gathering the necessary information, it was my duty to input the data into a pre-designed word document and add verbiage to tell what each number represented (this is difficult to explain without showing you exactly what the sheet looked like). I would then send an updated copy of the CAC to the Officer (whoever it was that I was working with) and he would look over it to see if there should be anything else added and also to see if there were any mistakes that I had made. After looking over the sheet, the Officer would then send me a new copy of the CAC via interoffice email with his/her pdated section. Their section dealt mostly with notes from the last meeting, recommendations, developments, etc. which were relevant for the next meeting with the committee. I would then take this new copy and send it over to Secured Credit, where someone would derive an analysis on collateral determinants, cash flows summaries, etc. and that would then go into the CAC at the end. After I had collected all of the necessary items, I would put the CAC together with my section, the Officer’s section, the Secured Credit comments, and the spreads. I would then print out a copy and give it to the CAC secretary who would put it on the stack of other CACs to go down to the printing room for multiple copies. These copies would then be distributed to the various committee members when the CAC was due to be discussed. It was the committee’s duty to discuss the company’s situation with the Officer (the Officer was closely related with the company, meaning that he had gone to the location, spoken with the executives on several occasions, etc. to see if it was feasible or not to continue funding their outstanding loans or if they should be ended. The last responsibility I had as an intern at National City was the most detailed and the most important assignment that permanent analysts completed. Toward the end of my internship, it was noticed by my superiors that I could handle large workloads and put out excellent results. So, my supervisor decided that I should be taught how to do the main thing that permanent analysts d id on a regular basis. These assignments were called Credit Sheets. The Credit Sheet incorporated all of the things that dealt with the CACs and the spreads, but required an extreme amount of financial information and overall analysis. This sheet dealt with the loan structure, financial position of the company, statements from the CEO, industry and company analysis, future implications that may hinder the business’s performance and various other aspects of the overall picture company and its industry in general. These sheets were usually between 30 and 100 page reports and were done because a company was seeking new loans, extensions on old loans, or more borrowings. My duties were to gather all of the information that I could about the company and its industry. I would be in constant contact with the Officer so that he/she could give me any updated financial or company news in general and also so that I could let them know how my progress was coming along. I would then construct a broad industry analysis as well as a very detailed company analysis. It was also my job to provide a detailed financial analysis of the company including collateral trends, borrowing base, future commitments, 1, 3, and 5 year cash flow analysis, and projected future position. The sheet, again just like the CAC, would be passed between the Officer and myself, with him/her adding necessary information as necessary, until we were both confident with the content. The sheet would then be presented to the committee and it would be determined through discussion, whether or not the company’s request was valid according to the information presented and the committee’s feeling about the future of the company. I did also have other various responsibilities such as side projects for different people and whatnot, but basically, the things that I described above were my most important responsibilities. These duties, no matter how large or small, were an integral part of the corporation’s functioning as a whole. During my time as at National City, I, along with the two other interns and the new permanent employees, was required to take a Commercial Credit class. We would meet as a group one or two times a week with Anita, in a classroom setting, and go over the different topics we were assigned to read. There were five parts in all: Qualitative Company Analysis, Credit Risk Analysis, Cash Flow Analysis, Balance Sheet Analysis, and Case Studies. These areas were integral in the learning process of dealing with Commercial Credit in that it taught us what to look for when dealing with companies’ financial statements and allowed us to take a more in depth look at the financial process. It was an incredible learning tool because it allowed all of us to take what we were learning in the classroom and use it in a real world situation. I thought that that aspect was the best part of the internship in that it expanded on my current skills and enabled me to experience situations that cannot be taught merely in a college setting. The purpose of an internship, as I see it, is to make a person aware of the world that waiting for them after college and to give them a better understanding of what is out there in corporate America. Not only did this internship show me what could be waiting for me after college, but it also taught me a great deal about how a corporation works as a single unit. My job and status in the corporation was not looked down upon and I was not handed filing work or other types of â€Å"busy work†. I was being taught and molded in a way that was in accordance to how they train their ermanent employees. It was truly an incredible learning experience for me. The internship was very beneficial to my future professional career. I speak with employers now and they are thoroughly impressed with my experiences at National City. I have a superior knowledge of certain aspects of the financial world that has given me a leg up against the competition during the interviewing process as well as in conversations with professionals in the field. I feel more comfortable and confident with my skills and abilities than I have ever felt before. National City made me feel important and now that is the attitude that I carry around with myself. The thing that I enjoyed the most about my internship at National City was the fact that I was treated as an equal and important member of the corporation. Aside from the learning aspect of the job, I gained a sense of what it would be like to be an employee of a large company, such as a bank. I was given work that the permanent employees were doing and I was expected to perform within the same parameters. I also enjoyed the work setting in general. We worked hard, but it was a laid back atmosphere where you could really get to know the other people in the office. Plus, most of the people that I worked with were either fresh out of college or had graduated just a few short years back. There were also a few Ohio University College of Business alumni in my department which made for interesting and resourceful conversations. With all of things in mind, I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed the fact that this job really taught me a lot. I know that I have already mentioned this, but the knowledge that I gained from my time at National City was priceless. I never thought that an internship could be so beneficial to me in the long run, but I was proven wrong in this case with flying colors. The internship, overall, was just an incredible experience for me and I am truly grateful that I was given the opportunity to prove my self while expanding on my skills at the same time. The College of Business has done a fantastic job in preparing me for my professional career in many ways. Many of the classes I have been required to take have given me a strong base of knowledge in particular areas of finance. I felt extremely prepared for this job when I first started just because of the fact that the finance and accounting classes that I have taken so far have taught me a great deal about the raw material in dealing with income statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, etc. The course I took at National City was mostly a method of fine tuning my already present skills and also a means of allowing me to put my entire classroom learning to work in real world situations. The course that really prepared me the best for this position was the second business cluster (301i). In the cluster, I learned how to better my time management skills, work through tough situations, and gain more experience with interacting with other individuals (group work). I thought it was amusing that the permanent analysts were working on industry analyses for their projects and I was able to help them because of the fact that I had done so many of them in the cluster. I guess I really didn’t realize just how much I have truly learned until I experienced it first hand in a situation like the one I just mentioned. The introductory finance class given in the cluster (FIN 325) was also an important class that helped to prepare me for this job. I was introduced to the stock market on a more specific level and was taught about how to â€Å"analyze† the numbers (basically, what everything means). But, like I said, the overall knowledge that I gained from all of the classes I have taken here at Ohio University have been a huge benefit to my professional career. When I began my internship, I knew that I was prepared, but I didn’t know that I could be fully prepared for the task that was laid before me. To my relief, everyone around me was extremely helpful if I had any problems with anything and the Credit class also refreshed my memory about some of things that I may have forgotten over time. All in all, I was prepared enough to perform to the best of my ability and to add value back to National City. My overall outlook on my career and future has always been a concern of mine. I would always ask myself what kind of job of do I want to have when I graduate, where do I want to work, what will make me happy, etc. and it has always been hard for me to answer. To be honest with you, I never thought that I would want to work at a bank, to become a â€Å"banker†. But after experiencing a banking job first hand, I feel that it is something that I truly enjoy. I feel that banking is a great place for a finance major to start off in a career because it allows one to gain an understanding about the â€Å"meat and potatoes† of the financial world. Banking is a broad field to get into because there are so many aspects of it and so many different career paths to follow. I have interviewed with a number of companies to get a feel for what is out there for finance majors coming out f college and have found that it is mostly banking or sales. I know for a fact that I do not picture myself in a sales type position (life insurance, broker, etc. ) and that banking just seems to be the right fit for me. I have had the benefit of being able to take an in depth look at what the banking industry is all about and what it has to offer to myself i n regards to developing my professional career. I am happy to say that I am currently in the second round of interviews with National City for a Commercial Banking position. This is a position that I feel will be the most beneficial for me to begin at directly out of college. I feel that this position will give me the sound financial background that I need in order to advance in my career and develop into the professional that I have always strived to become. This internship was a great experience for me, one that gave me something more than just a paycheck. National City is an excellent corporation and deserves praise for its efforts in the internship arena. Please let me know if there are any other questions that you would like answered, for I may be able to explain myself better in spoken words (592-6294). Thank you.